The first 250 female Dutch politicians (1917-1927)
| Duration: | 2018 - 2026 |
| Subsidy provider: | The writing of the popular book is financially supported by a LIRA subsidy and a contribution from the fellowship fund of Atria, Institute for gender equality and womenâs history. |
| Remarkable: | For the first time, the project makes visible the first female municipal councilors in the Netherlands. Most of them were married and thus were legally incapacitated. |
| Valorisation: | A book for a broad audience. Lectures and presentations for, among others, the Senate and the Association of Dutch Municipalities. |
The struggle for women’s suffrage lasted decades. But what happened after women obtained the vote? Which women managed to enter the male bastion of politics, and which women were not able to so? What was the diversity in political affiliation and marital status among the first female politicians? In which municipalities did they manage to obtain a seat? What tensions did they have to cope with? Did they manage to put new topics on the agenda? Were these women able to crack the glass ceiling?
Local perspectives included
For the first time, research has been conducted into the approximately first 250 women who were elected to municipal councils, provincial councils and parliament in the period 1917-1929. The approximately 150 women who did run for office but did not receive enough votes, are also given attention. Female politicians, which remained invisible for a long time, now have a name and a face. Especially the focus on local government in the project is innovative. This research therefore contributes to a more inclusive political history.
Housewives in politics
It is striking that a large majority of the female politicians were married and sometimes even had children. Many believed that mothers were particularly unsuitable for politics. In legal terms, married women were also incapacitated. They had to obey their husbands, but in politics they made decisions that affected large groups of citizens.
The rise of party democracy
The new politicians came to power during a political renewal process. This meant a rise of the party democracy and affected the chances of being elected. Which winners and losers did this produce? The themes of the research are political participation of women, the functioning of representative democracy, citizenship, emancipation processes and gender issues.
Publications
Several publications have already been written in the context of this research. A book for a broad audience will be published in 2026.
⢠âAfscheid van de politiek. Het einde van loopbanen van vrouwelijke pioniers in Nederlandse gemeenteraden (1919-1927) ´ in Alexander van Kessel e.a. (red.), âZe gedijt in samenwerkingâ (Nijmegen 2022)207-2013.
⢠Housewives in politics: Local pioneers in the Netherlands after the enfranchisement´, in Journal of Modern European History 18,3(2020) 264-268.
⢠ââHet was het nieuwe geluid dat gehoord werd.ââ De betekenis van de Pacificatie voor de emancipatie van vrouwenâ in: George Harinck, Alexander van Kessel en Hans Krabbendam (red.), 100 jaar Pacificatie 1917-2017. Jaarboek voor de geschiedenis van het Nederlands protestantisme na 1800 26 (2018) 87-102.
⢠`De vrouwen van 1923. Vrouwen, gekozen in Nederlandse gemeenteraden, nå de invoering van het algemeen kiesrecht.´, Historica 43(2020)3-9.